They'd been sitting like that for what felt like hours. The waitress had at least started to mix her drinking with water and bar peanuts. The silence between them was thick and uncomfortable.

If it wasn't for Charlie's hyperactive mind, he would've been crawling up the walls. Instead, the trails of ants and other little bugs that districted him. He didn't want to think about what had happened, not without the haze of joy he knew he would feel when she stopped glaring at him.

He had had sex with the waitress.

He couldn't wait to tell the gang. Luckily he didn't have to wait that long.

"Charlie? You down there?" Mac's voice boomed from above, followed by the unmistakable sound of Dennis' irritated muttering.

Charlie's head shot up. Relief washed over him. "Yeah! Yeah, I'm here!"

Heavy footsteps stomped across the floor, then the door to the basement creaked open. A beam of light swept across the room, catching Charlie and the Waitress in its glow. Mac appeared at the top of the stairs, flashlight in hand, grinning like a man who'd just saved the day. Even now, he liked to act like a Messiah, just agayMessiah these days. "Your savior is here, bro!"

"Oh, thank God," Charlie muttered under his breath.

Dennis followed close behind, looking as annoyed as ever, but his face never really changed that much. He always looked close to having an aneurysm. "Dude, we've been looking for you for hours. What the hell have you been doing?"

Before Charlie could even begin to answer, Dee's voice rang out from behind them. "Yeah, seriously, what could you possibly be doing in the basement during a storm, you freak?" She pushed her way past Dennis and Mac, her eyes narrowing as she caught sight of the Waitress. "Oh my God, is that…?"

Charlie felt his stomach drop. He really didn't want the waitress to get a chance to give her little 'comments' before he had a chance. He needed to journal this in his chicken scrawl and depictive doodles.

He didn't want to miss a single detail. The way she had looked in her pleasure. He wanted to sketch it like Michelangelo - the turtle, not the Italian - that guy had game. Maybe in the coming days he could impress the Waitress, bring her pizza. Show her some sweet karate moves he had picked up from Mac. Anything to show his physical prowess, reminding her that she could rely on him just like she had to get out of the storm.

Dennis' eyes flicked between them, his brow furrowing. "Wait… did you…?"

Charlie scratched the back of his neck, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks. A small grin crossed his lips. He didn't want to lie. He didn't want to admit it either. But before he could come up with an answer, Dee's expression shifted into something way too familiar.

"Oh no," she snorted, crossing her arms and tilting her head, "No way. You and the Waitress?"

Charlie's face went bright red. "Uh…"

"Oh my God," Mac said, his face lighting up. He threw his arms up in the air like he was cheering at a Philly's game. "Charlie banged the Waitress!"

"Guys, stop," Charlie said weakly, trying to keep his voice from sounding too proud. He was proud. He had madeloveto the waitress. She was practically his.

Dee let out a loud, obnoxious laugh. "Please, everyone's done that."

The Waitress, who had been staring at the ground the whole time, finally snapped her head up, glaring daggers at Dee. "Wedidn't."

Dee rolled her eyes with a laugh that came out more like a cackle, crossing her arms and leaning against the wall. She knew two things about the other woman. She loved alcohol, and she gotreally reallylose when she drank. "Oh, please. Like you didn't say the same thing whenIdid you. What was it you said? 'Dee, that was a huge mistake, you can't tell anyone' or something like that? Yeah, sure, okay. Look, honey, we've all been there."

Mac let out a loud, incredulous laugh that echoed off the basement walls. "Wait... wait,youand the Waitress? Are you kidding me?"

Dennis grinned, his eyes lighting up with amusement as he pointed between his sister and his once bangmate. "Seriously, Dee? You actually think we're going to believe that? There's no way she'd letyounear her."

Dee put her hands on her hip, swaggering them in a loss impression of thrusting that had the guys gagging at the imagery. "Oh yah. We go it on. Believe whatever you want, boys. I know the truth. We were both trashed, it was late, and, well, thingshappen." She glanced at the Waitress with a knowing look, but the Waitress was glaring back at her, eyes narrowed, face flushed with anger.

"That did not happen!" the Waitress practically spat, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "Dee, you're such a liar! You've always been a liar!"

"Oh, right, I forgot you'resoselective about your mistakes," Dee shot back, her voice dripping with honeyed sarcasm. "Come on, you barely remembered the next day. But yeah, we hooked up. You might want to repress that memory, but I can't."

Dennis was practically doubling over with laughter now, shaking his head. "Oh my God. Dee, you're delusional. The Waitress, hooking up withyou? That's like… I don't know, like Bigfoot showing up at the bar. It's a myth."

Mac, still laughing, stepped toward Charlie. He was proud of his little buddy. Charlie moaned more days about the Waitress than days he spent claiming to be the 'Karate Messiah' or 'Gay Messiah', it changed per day. "Dude, you should be worried aboutthatmore than anything. If she's been with Dee, you never know what's going to happen next. Might wake up with feathers growing out of your back."

Charlie's eyes went wide as his mind tried to wrap itself around the absurdity of everything being thrown at him. "Feathers? Wait, why would—"

"I mean, who knows what Dee has, man?" Mac interrupted, still grinning. "She's basically got the bird flu like ten times."

Dee scowled at him. "I donothave diseases, Mac. You're the one who probably had AIDS—"

"Okay, enough about Dee's gross escapades!" Dennis said, waving his hands in disgust. "But seriously, this story about you and the Waitress? It's a hard pass. No way. There's no way the Waitress would lower herself to your level. Right?" He shot a glance at the Waitress, eyebrow raised, clearly hoping to stir the pot even further.

The Waitress, still glaring at Dee, crossed her arms tighter. "I'm not talking about this anymore. You're all idiots."

Dee let out another obnoxious cackle. "See? She's not denying it! She just wants it to go away!"

Dennis smirked, clearly enjoying the drama. "Oh, this is amazing. Charlie, not only did you get with the Waitress, but apparently, Dee's been there first. That's gotta sting."

Charlie blinked, still trying to process everything. His brain felt like it was spinning in circles, torn between wanting to argue with Dee, make sense of the weirdness, and... well, honestly, he still wasn't sure what to think. "Wait, so, you didn't really—"

"No!" the Waitress cut him off, shooting an exasperated look his way. "I did not! Dee is insane!"

"Okay, okay, fine," Dee said, clearly enjoying herself. "Live in denial all you want. But, Charlie—" she turned to him with a wicked grin—"welcome to the club. We've all had our fun with her."

Charlie opened his mouth to protest, but Mac slapped him on the back, laughing. "Hey, man, don't sweat it. At least you finally got in there, right? Whether she admits it or not, that's something."

"Yeah, and at leastyou'renot making up stories," Dennis added with a smirk, glancing at Dee. "Unlike some people in this room."

The Waitress, her face red with frustration, finally threw her hands up. "You're all disgusting! I'm leaving!"

She stomped toward the stairs, practically shaking with anger, while the gang just stood there, barely containing their laughter.

As she reached the door, Mac leaned toward Charlie, grinning. "Oh, hey, before you go—Dennis rescuedtwinswhile you were stuck down here."

Charlie's head snapped toward Dennis. "Wait, twins? Like... real twins?"

Dennis grinned proudly. "Oh yeah. Gorgeous, helpless twins. Needed someone to save them from the storm, obviously, so, naturally, I stepped in." His eyes glimmered with that smug self-satisfaction Charlie knew all too well.

Charlie blinked, trying to wrap his mind around everything happening at once—Dee's insane claims, Mac's bird flu comments, and now Dennis's twins. His brain felt like it was spinning, like someone had cranked up the chaos to a level even he wasn't used to.

"Wait, like... identical twins?" Charlie asked, his voice cracking just a little as his curiosity got the best of him.

Dennis shot him a wide, self-satisfied grin. "Oh yeah. Identical twins, man. They were stuck in their car outside the apartment, freezing, and naturally, I came to the rescue. They needed warmth, someone to take charge. Keep them warm. You know, your standard Dennis Reynolds situation." He punctuated the sentence with a smug shrug that screamed 'hero complex.'

Mac couldn't contain himself, leaning in toward Charlie with wide eyes. "Dude, you wouldn't believe the sounds. It was like listening to—well, I mean, you've heard a lot of things, but this wasnext level.Like, I couldn't see it, but the door? Thin. Real thin."

Charlie's eyes went wide, both horrified and impressed. "Wait, you listened at the door the whole time?"

Dennis rolled his eyes, looking as if he were above such pettiness. His friend may be gay, but he still listened at the door, probably doing god knew what to himself. "He did, but that's Mac for you. Always lurking. Doesn't matter, though, 'cause it was all me. They couldn't keep their hands off me." He looked around the room with that infuriating smirk. "They were practically begging."

Dee made a gagging noise. "Ugh, Dennis, spare us the details, please. God, you sound like a cheap porno. No one cares about your gross, twin threesome."

"Oh, likeyou'reone to talk," Dennis fired back, his smirk fading just slightly. "You're over here spinning weird lies about you and the Waitress. At least my stories are rooted in reality."

The Waitress yelled from upstairs, obviously not having found her way away from free booze. "You're all disgusting!Noneof this happened! Dee didn't sleep with me, and Charlie whatever happened between us, that was a mistake. You're all twisted!"

Dennis' smirk deepened, hearing the Waitress yelling from upstairs. He shot a glance toward the stairs, not bothering to hide his amusement. "Oh, so she's still hanging around. Can't even handle us talking about her, huh? Classic."

Dee laughed, crossing her arms with a cocky grin. "She's in denial. It's what happens when someone realizes they're not as together as they pretend to be. She's always been a mess."

"Yeah, well," Dennis said, adjusting his jacket, "she's got no room to act all high and mighty, especially after making mistakes likeCharlie."

Charlie, still standing awkwardly by the bar, flinched at the mention of his name. "Hey, come on, man. It wasn't a mistake." He hesitated. "I mean, I don'tthinkit was..."

Dee snorted, rolling her eyes. "Oh, sweet Charlie. You're so clueless, it's almost cute. Almost."

Mac, still trying to keep things light, clapped Charlie on the back. "Nah, dude. Don't listen to her. You got what you wanted. The Waitress was just embarrassed. She doesn't want to admit it, but deep down? She probably loved it."

"Doubt it," Dennis muttered under his breath, earning a sharp look from Charlie.

"You guys don't get it," Charlie said, shaking his head. "This was, like, a big deal for me. I've been trying foryears."

"Oh, we get it," Dee said with a sarcastic nod. "You've been obsessed with her forever. But that doesn't mean she didn't immediately regret it once she sobered up."

"I regret this whole conversation," the Waitress yelled again from upstairs, her voice slurred now. The sound of clinking bottles echoed down the stairs as she clearly helped herself to more free booze.

Charlie winced. "She's... not sober."

"No shit," Dennis said, smirking. "She's drowning her embarrassment in whiskey. Classic move. Trust me, I've seen it before." He tapped his temple, as if he was the expert on all things related to awkward hook-ups.

"Yeah, man," Mac added. "You probably rocked her world, and now she doesn't know how to handle it."

Charlie perked up slightly, a hopeful look crossing his face. "You think so?"

"No," Dennis said flatly. "Absolutely not. But it's cute you think that."

Dee leaned against the bar, grinning. "Charlie, honey, you're like... a charity case for her. This was a mercy bang, at best."

"God, Dee," Mac said, shaking his head. "Don't be so harsh."

"I'm just being honest," Dee shot back, shrugging. "Someone's gotta bring him back down to reality."

From upstairs, the sound of something shattering interrupted the bickering. "Dammit!" the Waitress yelled, clearly pissed. "You assholes owe me new glasses!"

Charlie winced again. "Uh, maybe we should... check on her?"

Dennis laughed. "Yeah, no thanks. I'm not cleaning up her mess."

Mac shrugged. "She'll be fine, man. She's had worse nights."

Charlie bit his lip, still feeling guilty. "I don't know. I feel like—"

"Charlie," Dennis interrupted, his tone smug. "This whole situation was never going to end well. You thought you'd get the girl, ride off into the sunset or some crap like that, but guess what? She's still the Waitress. And you're still Charlie."

Dee grinned, nudging Charlie's shoulder. "Yeah, at least now you can say youdidher. Most of us don't even get that far with our weird obsessions."

"Speak for yourself," Dennis said, flashing her a cocky grin. "I close every deal."

Dee groaned. "Oh my God, no one cares, Dennis."

"Guys, seriously, I—" Charlie started, but before he could finish, the door at the top of the stairs burst open. The Waitress appeared, leaning against the doorframe, holding an empty bottle of whiskey in one hand.

"You know what's twisted?" she slurred, pointing at all of them with the bottle. "All ofyou.You think this is funny, like you're better than me? Well, newsflash, you're not. And Charlie—" she glared at him, her eyes bleary but still sharp, "—this was a mistake. You're a mistake."

The Waitress swayed dangerously at the top of the stairs, the empty whiskey bottle still clutched in her hand. She wobbled as she tried to keep her balance, but before anyone could react, her feet slipped out from under her.

"Whoa—" Dennis started, his eyes widening as she tumbled forward.

Time seemed to slow down as she fell, arms flailing, the bottle slipping from her grasp and smashing against the floor below. Her body hit the stairs with a sickening thud, rolling down, limp and uncontrolled. The gang stood frozen in shock as she finally came to rest at the bottom, motionless.

Charlie's heart leapt in his chest. Not out of fear or concern—but out of something much more unexpected.

"Uh, oh my God, is she okay?" Dee gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as she took a step toward the crumpled form at the bottom of the stairs.

Mac rushed forward. "Waitress! Waitress!" He knelt beside her, checking for signs of life. "Dennis, help me! Is she breathing?"

Dennis, usually quick to jump into action, hesitated for a moment, his cool facade slipping as he realized how serious the situation was. "Uh, yeah, okay, I got it," he muttered, crouching beside her, lightly tapping her face. "Hey. Hey, are you okay?"

Charlie stood there, wide-eyed, his heart pounding—notwith panic but with excitement. This was it. The moment he had always dreamed of. The Waitress was hurt, vulnerable, and she neededhim. And, best of all, she wasn't going to remember any of the nasty things she'd just said.

Dee hovered at the edge of the room, pacing nervously. "What do we do? What if she has a concussion? Oh my God, is she gonna die?"

The Waitress groaned softly, her eyelids fluttering as she struggled to regain consciousness.

"She's alive," Dennis announced, sounding relieved but still tense. "But she's definitely out of it."

"Out of it?" Mac echoed, his voice shaky. "How out of it?"

The Waitress groaned again, blinking up at the ceiling in confusion. Her eyes struggled to focus, her expression dazed. "Wha... Where am I?" she mumbled, her voice barely a whisper.

Dennis leaned closer, keeping his voice calm. "You're at Paddy's, you fell down the stairs. You're going to be fine, but we need to—"

"Who... who are you?" the Waitress interrupted, her voice weak, her eyes glassy. She looked up at Dennis like she had never seen him before.

Dennis blinked, taken aback. "What do you mean? I'm Dennis. You know me."

She stared at him blankly, then turned her gaze to Mac, who was kneeling beside her. "I... I don't know who you are either..."

Mac's face went pale. "Wait, she doesn't remember us?"

Dee stepped closer, her eyes wide with shock. "Oh no, this is bad. This is really bad. We need to call an ambulance!"

But Charlie wasn't listening to any of them. His heart was racing, his hands fidgeting with excitement. She didn't remember Dennis. She didn't remember Mac. Maybe—just maybe—she didn't remember him either.

The Waitress turned her head, her eyes settling on Charlie. "And... and you?"

Charlie's breath hitched. He could barely contain the grin that was spreading across his face. "I'm... I'm Charlie."

She squinted at him, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Charlie? I... I don't know you."

This was it.

Charlie's heart practically exploded with joy. The Waitress didn't know him. She didn't remember all the times he had been weird and creepy. She didn't remember the rejection, the years of obsession, or even what had just happened between them. To her, he was a complete stranger.

And that meant... a fresh start.

"Oh my God," Charlie whispered under his breath, his eyes wide with awe. "This is the best day of my life."

Dee whipped her head around to stare at him, her mouth agape. "What?"

"I mean... I mean it's terrible, yeah," Charlie quickly added, but the excitement in his voice was impossible to hide. "But, uh, you know, things could still turn out okay."

Mac was still hovering over the Waitress, looking between her and Dennis. "We need to get her to a hospital or something. She can't even remember us!"

Dennis, always eager to assert himself as the decision-maker, stood up, brushing off his pants. "Yeah, yeah, we'll figure it out. Let's call an ambulance and get her checked out."

But Charlie couldn't tear his eyes away from the Waitress. She was sitting up now, her face a mixture of confusion and pain, looking around like she was in a strange, unfamiliar place.

She didn't remember him. She didn't rememberanything.

And for Charlie, that was the luckiest twist of fate he could've ever imagined.

Dennis pulled out his phone, dialing for an ambulance while Mac and Dee hovered around the Waitress, asking her basic questions to see if anything else was off. But Charlie barely heard them. He was lost in his own thoughts, grinning from ear to ear.

It was a clean slate. A chance to start over, with none of the baggage that had weighed him down for years.

Dee shot him a look of disbelief. "Charlie, you're...smiling?"

Charlie blinked, quickly wiping the grin off his face. "Uh, yeah, sorry. It's just... I think everything's going to be okay."

Dee narrowed her eyes at him. "Okay? She doesn't even know who she is!"

"Exactly," Charlie said, barely able to contain his excitement. "It's afresh start."

Dennis groaned. "Charlie, you're hopeless."

But Charlie didn't care. For the first time in a long time, things were finally looking up.

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Charlie nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. "Yeah, yeah, you took a pretty nasty fall. But, uh, don't worry. I'm here. I'm your boyfriend."

The Waitress stared at him, her eyes widening slightly. "My... boyfriend?"

Charlie swallowed hard, nodding eagerly. "Yep! We've been together for, uh, a while now. It's been great. We're really close, you know? You—" he paused, trying to find the right words, "—you can trust me."

She still looked confused, but there was a softness in her expression, like she wanted to believe him. "I don't remember you."

"That's okay!" Charlie said quickly, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. "You hit your head. It'll come back to you. But, in the meantime, I'll help you remember. We're... we're really in love."